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There is a race of golems that can

  1. Change their shape at will (although not their color)
  2. Manipulate objects within their body
  3. Change their hardness between modeling clay soft and rock hard

The golems are also just as capable of thinking and speaking as humans. They are limited in size and strength to roughly that of a body builder.

How can I best use these capabilities to create an effective melee fighter?

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  • $\begingroup$ This is another example of a "brainstorming request" rather than a question. It's in the close queue for being too broad because you're asking us to come up with random ideas. Basically, I could pick any melée weapon and put that in a successful answer. WB.SE's model is for you to ask a question that address a single problem or issue (e.g. a particular melée weapon); and we give a focused answer. VTC. $\endgroup$
    – elemtilas
    Feb 17, 2019 at 23:52
  • $\begingroup$ There are two types of questions involved here: the finite list of things, which are generally on-topic, and the infinite list of things, which are generally off-topic. The difference is subtle, but definable. (a) You've provided enough details about the subject and your method of judging the answers to keep the lists from going wild and (b) you're solving an actual problem, not just fishing for ideas or overcoming writers block. (*continued*) $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Feb 18, 2019 at 0:29
  • $\begingroup$ This appears to be asking for an infinite list of things and so I'm joining @elemtilas and VTCing. Please consider reading through our meta posts about high concept questions and open-ended questions. Weaponizing anything has too much to do with circumstances (mustard gas and trench warfare during WWI), which is off-topic, vs. the rules of your world (mixing carbon, hydrogen, chlorine, and sulfur in the right amounts creates mustard gas), which is on-topic. $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Feb 18, 2019 at 0:36

2 Answers 2

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As fighters they will be good but not special.

They are a decent size and strength for a warrior. They don't have special fighting skills aside from maybe a really hard punch. And they'll never lose their weapons if they're made from their own bodies (shape-shifted then made rock hard).

But they keep going. And going.

  • They don't tire as easily as humans, because they don't have muscle tissue that fatigues. They're clay.
  • They may or may not feel pain at the point of impact (that's up to you, the author) but they won't be in constant or building pain during the battle.
  • They don't bleed.
  • They don't bruise.
  • A hit to what in a human would be a muscle is not going to rupture anything.
  • If they are cut or torn, they can repair themselves.
  • If an object (arrow, dart, knife, rock) penetrates their bodies, they just spit it out.
  • Poison has no effect.
  • There are no internal organs to get damaged.
  • Choking them doesn't kill them.
  • Bones don't break.
  • Tendons don't rip.
  • If an arm is cut off, they pick it up with the other arm and put it back.

If a person (or, more likely, a group of people) was dedicated to destroying a golem, they could succeed. Or if enough pieces of the golem's body were cut off and unretrievable. Even if they can't continue fighting forever, they can go a lot longer than a human.

Depending on how the golem was made, "killing" it is possible, but it requires special knowledge. Spells or removing parchment from its mouth or body. You can make this easy or hard, widely known or carefully guarded.

The goylomim could, with practice, use their special skills to fight in unusual ways. Shapeshift into ropes and snares and mallets and axes (carrying blades at the ready inside them) and crossbows. But they will be most effective with ordinary fighting skills that they can do over and over without becoming tired or dead.

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    $\begingroup$ Wait to be stabbed. Soften and let the attacker’s blow sink in deep. Reharden around the weapon, then bludgeon your freshly disarmed opponent to death with the hilt of their own sword. $\endgroup$
    – Joe Bloggs
    Feb 17, 2019 at 13:58
  • $\begingroup$ @JoeBloggs That works too. Or just neatly remove their arm from their body and bludgeon them with it. $\endgroup$
    – Cyn
    Feb 17, 2019 at 16:54
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    $\begingroup$ “I'll tear your arm off and beat you to death with the wet end!” $\endgroup$
    – Joe Bloggs
    Feb 17, 2019 at 17:11
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My first thoughts are they could punch or kick by quickly stretching their arms or legs. They would be good at grappling targets, forming their hands into shackles. A lethal option they could crush someone like a vice.

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